Cover The London Edition: part Georgian townhouse, part downtown New York loft (Photo: Nikolas Koenig)
The London Edition: part Georgian townhouse, part downtown New York loft (Photo: Nikolas Koenig)
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Ian Schrager’s Fitzrovia hotel delivers atmosphere, attitude and a year-long partnership with the Design Museum
Some hotels are built for the photograph. Others are built for the memory. The London Edition manages to be both. Which makes sense, given its creator, Ian Schrager, the impresario behind legendary New York nightclub Studio 54, has never been interested in the obvious shot, only the one you cannot stop thinking about.
On a quietly elegant stretch of Fitzrovia, he has taken a Georgian townhouse (a former carpet warehouse) and filled it with marble columns, walnut panelling and an egg-shaped disco ball that somehow feels less like a gimmick and more like a wink.
The result is a hotel that honours its bones while channelling the energy of a downtown New York loft. Warm minimalism. Confident lighting. The unshakeable belief that a hotel should feel like somewhere you want to be, not somewhere you have to be.
This year, that belief extends to a partnership with the Design Museum and Simone Brewster, a London-based artist whose work anchors the museum’s annual Platform display, with an installation coming to the Lobby Bar during the London Design Festival.
First impressions
Above The hotel blends seamlessly into Fitzrovia’s Georgian terrace (Photo: Nikolas Koenig)
The hotel blends seamlessly into Fitzrovia’s Georgian terrace (Photo: Nikolas Koenig)
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At first glance, The London Edition is almost too discreet. Its white stucco facade, trimmed with black railings, blends seamlessly into the gracious Georgian terrace of Fitzrovia. But step inside, and the temperature shifts. The air carries the spiced, tea-tinged notes of New York-based perfume house Le Labo. The lighting is low and golden. And everywhere—draped across leather chesterfields, leaning against the long white oak check-in desk, swirling cocktails by the fireplace—are guests who look as if they have just arrived from somewhere interesting.
The property occupies a former 1830s townhouse that once housed a carpet warehouse. Today, it is a masterclass in controlled contrast. Original marble columns and an ornate coffered ceiling play against a gleaming disco ball. Oak floors and walnut panelling lend warmth to the grand proportions. The effect is dramatic but warm. It is a lobby that demands a second look, then rewards it.
Do not disturb
The Superior Queen room wraps guests in warm walnut panelling and oak floors, with a plush queen bed dressed in crisp white linens
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The Superior Queen room is modest in footprint but quietly assured. Walnut panelling lines the walls in warm, continuous tones. A plush queen bed, dressed in crisp white linens, anchors the space without overwhelming it. This is a room that knows its job: a place to sleep deeply, wash thoroughly and step back out into London. The bed is deep and enveloping, backed by blackout curtains that extinguish the city’s restless glow. The bathroom is clad in white with a rainfall shower and custom-made Le Labo bathroom amenities with a signature, exclusive scent. The overall aesthetic is minimal but never austere. It feels like the guest bedroom of a particularly well-appointed friend. Nothing extra. Nothing missing.
Wine and dine
Berners Tavern serves Jason Atherton’s modern British menu in a room that feels like a private dining salon for the city’s creative class
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Berners Tavern, led by chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton, is the hotel’s crown jewel. The room itself is a marvel: every inch of wall is covered in gilded frames, black-and-white portraits, and moody still lifes. It feels like a private dining salon for the city’s creative class. It’s the kind of place where deals are closed, romances are kindled and the sticky toffee pudding has achieved cult status.
The menu is modern British with a steady hand. On our visit, the Cumbrian venison arrived as a plate of deep, wintry comfort: tender loin, a smoked bacon faggot that delivered exactly the savoury punch it promised, along with neeps and tatties (swede and potatoes), variegated kale and a juniper sauce that tied everything together. On the side, the signature mac and cheese with lobster: rich, decadent and unapologetically excessive in the best possible way. A glass of something robust and red, the sommelier recommends well, and the meal felt complete.
Breakfast here is equally essential. For the virtuous, there are fresh juices and thick yoghurts. For everyone else, the full Edition: eggs any style, Cumberland sausages, and a pot of loose-leaf tea served in a hammered copper pot.
After dinner, descend into The Punch Room. This intimate, wood-clad den with velvet banquettes and low, amber lighting channels a 19th-century London club. The cocktail menu is a recipe book of invention: a Milk Punch that goes tropical and complex, and a Rusty Tonic with enough aromatic sharpness to wake the palate. For something more casual, The Lobby Bar offers low lighting, good cocktails and the kind of seating that encourages one more round.
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Bells and whistles
Above The hotel’s partnership with the museum brings Brewster’s work into the Lobby Bar during the London Design Festival
The hotel’s partnership with the museum brings Brewster’s work into the Lobby Bar during the London Design Festival
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The 24-hour fitness centre offers everything needed for a solid workout: Technogym equipment, free weights and towels, but the hotel’s cultural programming is the true draw. Beyond its partnership with the Design Museum, which this year supports Platform: Simone Brewster, the second edition of the museum’s annual display celebrating a designer shaping contemporary discourse, the property hosts regular jazz nights in the Lobby Bar and rotating art installations from emerging London artists.
Running until January 2027, Brewster’s first solo museum show spans furniture, jewellery, sculptural forms and architectural pieces, exploring themes of identity, heritage and the Black female body through a visual language rooted in African diasporic traditions. As part of the hotel’s partnership, guests can expect a programme of moments throughout the year, including an installation in the Lobby Bar during the London Design Festival this September.
And then there is the service. The front desk had done their homework. A quick scroll through my Instagram revealed a weakness for interesting crisps, and one afternoon while relaxing in the room, a couple of bags arrived with a handwritten note. No request had been made. Just a small gesture that made the room feel a little more like home.
Tatler Tip
Above From the Penthouse terrace, London unfurls in every direction, from the London Eye to the city’s historic rooftops
From the Penthouse terrace, London unfurls in every direction, from the London Eye to the city’s historic rooftops
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With Soho, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and the West End’s theatres all within a ten-minute walk, this is one of London’s most enviable creative addresses. The hotel is also just a short stroll from Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and several of the city’s best shopping destinations, including Liberty London, Selfridges and Carnaby Street.
Book Berners Tavern well in advance. Visit during the London Design Festival (September 2026) to catch the Design Museum installation in the Lobby Bar. And do not leave without trying the sticky toffee pudding.
The London Edition
Address: 10 Berners Street, London W1T 3NP, United Kingdom
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A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
